I am getting a new chinchilla...?

Question

How long should I leave it to settle in?? It will be in exactly the same cage though. Will it bite when i first pick it up??

Answer 1

if your getting a new chin do not put it with another  straight away, they will fight leading to one either dieing or getting hurt. your better off keeping it in another cage side by side and swap cages a couple of times and introduce them slowly. i got my 1st after this Xmas and a few month later (both females 5yr and 6 yr) my 2nd, 3 month later and my 1st one Skippy tries at every opportunity to attack it, the other ones not bothered it just barks at it through the cage.

Answer 2

I've never had one bite me but they sometimes don't like to be picked up

Answer 3

we had 2 chinchillas a girl called jasmine and a boy called sammy,yes it may bite at first but continuis handling should stop this it will probably be a bit scared of you at first.make sure it has a sand bath always handy they love it and are funny to watch when having one.let it out but remember they are rodents and will chew wiring as we found out when the t.v and video wouldn't work.they do make lovely pets though

Answer 4

You should leave it alone for a day. Even though it's in the same cage there is still new smells and sounds. If it is really scared it may bite but it shouldn't.

Answer 5

My sister got a chinchilla once. She brought it over to my house to show me and when she picked it up it bit her. The bite was so bad and blood was everywhere. She got really light headed and it took my friend and me 20 minutes to get it back in the cage. When my sister felt better she returned it to the pet store right away. So I would say don't pick it up right away!!

Answer 6

Chinchillas can take years to trust a human.  Which, in the long run isn't such a long time because they live 10 to 20 years.

When you first get your chinchilla, you won't be able to pick it up for a long time.  Start by just putting your hands in the cage.  It'll come investigate you. It should sniff you, and probably nibble you a bit.

Every day, at the SAME TIME, do this.  I'd suggest some time later in the evening, such as 7 PM.  Just open the cage and put your arm in.  Eventually the chinchilla should just hop into your hands.  It may jump in and then jump out again at first. You have to be PATIENT.

Keep trying, it'll take at least a week, but it could take months or even years.  Just open the door and put your hand in.  Eventually it'll get the schedule, which is why you have to do it at the same time every day, and it'll hop into your hands and he happy to see you.

make sure you give it treats for behaving well.  Your chinchilla should have NO MORE than two raisins a day, so I'd suggest taking a pair of scissors and cutting the raisins into as small of pieces as humanly possible.  Give your chinchilla treats for hopping into your hands.

Never grab at your chinchilla and never reach at it from above.  This can stress out a chinchilla as it can be viewed as aggressive behavior and will cause your chinchilla to bite. Also, when grabbing at a chinchilla, if you miss and accidentally grab it by its fur, the chinchilla has a mechanism to release fur and you'll end up with a partially bald chinchilla. Also, if you grab the tail, it can lose its tail.

And I see 'it will be in exactly the same cage'.  If this is the pet store cage, this can be a problem.  Cages chinchillas are in at pet stores are MUCH too small.  Your cage should be at least three feet by three feet by three feet and have lots of jumping ledges and perches, a box to hide in, and things to play with.